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YOUR RESEARCHC4 suspension refresh advice
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Replace bunch of the other parts along the way
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I�ve done my shocks/struts twice and replaced a bunch of the other parts along the way.
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Thanks for sharing that pic I was wondering what brand of bump stops they used on that set.
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This was done in NYC at an independent Porsche shop, and in hindsight I think I ended up using a particularly expensive one.
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The control arms were all new (albeit, I painted them all with AlumaBlast and ceramic coated them hoping they'll stay clean forever).
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I�d recommend pinging Jason with what you�re looking for and I�m sure he�ll work up a quote for you.
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In the spring, I will most likely have my indy replace the bushings in my front wishbones and put on a set of front adjustable forged control arms from Elephant racing that have replaceable bushings.
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I'm going to try and get another quote or two to see if I can get the whole refresh done for closer to 6k but Im also wondering if it makes sense at all to just do the front strut assembly now and then replace the rest in a year or two?
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Hey all I have a 1999 C4 with 106k miles on it, all original suspension parts. I brought the car in to a shop for some work and during inspection they flagged the front struts / bump stops as needing replacement. They said the rear shocks and control arms front/back are in OK condition. The car occasionally makes creaking noises from the front especially if there is a passenger and at 80mph+ on the highway the front feels very floaty. Overall the steering feels vague at times. Typing this all out Im wondering why I bought the car
I got a quote from a (different) shop to do a full refresh and they quoted 5.5k USD for struts/shocks full assembly replacement using Bilstein B4 with alignment and another 2k on top for control arms so ~7.5k USD total for a full refresh. This is in the Boston area. I've priced out parts online using FCP kit list / parts diagrams and it looks like all the replaceable parts with Koni Special Actives and Meyle arms can be had for ~4-4.5k so that quote of ~7.5k feels very high. I'd be looking for a road/GT setup so I don't need lowering or adjustability.
I'm going to try and get another quote or two to see if I can get the whole refresh done for closer to 6k but Im also wondering if it makes sense at all to just do the front strut assembly now and then replace the rest in a year or two?
I�m in the midst of this same refresh now myself. The extra cost is all in the labor to do the job, I doubt you�ll find it much cheaper regardless of where you go.
Although I�m not very mechanical I decided to try both a front and rear refresh over the winter. Bought a quickjack on Black Friday to get the car off the ground and dove in.
YouTube has plenty of videos and, if you have some basic tools it looks reasonable. I�ve completed the rear and feel like I did a good job. I�m in the middle of the front right now.
I know this doesn�t help your predicament at all but, it is an option if you have a garage and some time.
Yeah, you are looking at $7-10k for a full suspension refresh including labor. A little more with a good set of coolovers and a corner balance. Not cheap, but you can do it yourself and save in labor or take it in pieces to spread it out.
But it will be worth it when yiu get the car properly set up. Best driving 911 in my humble opinion.
It's really in your best interest to do everything at once if you can swing it.
Your parts are well past their prime from age/mileage even if they look okay. To give you an example, my front bearing cases were split in half at 42k miles when I replaced them last year. If I had to break up the jobs, I would do struts, front bearings, front mounts, new bump stops x4. This alone will make a world of difference and improve the ride. Then plan to refresh all arms at once next go around along with inner/outer tie rods. 👍
I just collected parts over several months as I could afford them, and replaced everything all at once. I know some places don't like using customer supplied parts, but if you can find a shop that will work with you, I think its an option worth considering.
This is how I'm doing mine, just had koni special active and top mounts done on all 4 corrnors in the fall, planning to do control arms and such in the spring, I have an 01 c2, got lucky and picked up a kit of Koni for all four cornors for a bit over $900, also sway bar links
Tracking this thread. I have a 2000 C2 with almost 95k miles and when I looked beneath the car, I'm still on the original control arms (new tie rods) and what looks like original shocks/struts also. The front driver side creaks on slow speed compression (like when pulling into the driveway).
Just checked again looks like Paragon is only listing rear at the moment but they are on sale
Koni Special Active, Sport Yellow and Special D Shocks and Struts
$278 each tahts without bump stops or dust boots, the set I got had everything no longer available
Thanks for sharing that pic I was wondering what brand of bump stops they used on that set. Does it require specific non standard bump stop and bellows or are those same part numbers as stock?
I got a Koni Special Active kit from Paragon too. They didn�t have a kit specifically for my car (C4S) on the website at the time so I contacted them through the �contact us� form.
Jason (I presume the owner) got back to me immediately and worked up a set.
I�d recommend pinging Jason with what you�re looking for and I�m sure he�ll work up a quote for you. Paragon had the best price when I was looking for Special Actives.
No best answer. It all depends on the timing and size of your budget, condition of your dampers and arm bushings, as well as what else you have to refresh on the engine, exhaust, exterior and interior. IMHO, priority should be given to bullet proofing the M96 first, then suspension for safety and handling.
If you want to do the suspension in steps and not all at once, you can refresh the dampers first and then at a later time refresh the arms assuming the bushings are not so bad that the car doesnt stay aligned. The dampers will eventually go bad, but the metal arms really dont, but the arm bushings do and as they deteriorate, you will hear alot of noise and popping. A good Porsche indy will know the parts and be able to tell you what is high versus low priority. Many will have the capability to replace the arm bushings for a fraction of the price of buying new OEM arms.
Your other option is to accumulate all the parts first and then do it all at once when budget permits.
I like to accumulate parts first and then do things in steps. As an example, I am about to replace my front and rear Tarret sway bar bushings. In the spring, I will most likely have my indy replace the bushings in my front wishbones and put on a set of front adjustable forged control arms from Elephant racing that have replaceable bushings.
Not certain what I am going to do with the rears yet.
And I will eventually either rebuild my PSS9s or get a new set of coilovers, or do both so I always have a set on the shelf. Just waiting on inventory availability and reasonable prices.
But my suspension parts are all still in good shape. Since I have serviced and refreshed items over my 23 years of ownership, it easy to split projects up.
Refreshing the suspension is not inexpensive. As a data point, I refreshed the suspension on my 996 C4S last year. Total cost was $12.8k, broken down as follows: ~$11k for a KW V3 coilover kit, $1.3k for two front lower control arms, and $585 for alignment, corner balance, weight, and ride height setup. This was done in NYC at an independent Porsche shop, and in hindsight I think I ended up using a particularly expensive one.
If you need to break it up due to cash flow, take care of the front end first this year and tackle the rear next year. Based on your comments, the front end definitely needs a refresh. My only concern with making this a multi year event is that part prices just keep climbing.
While I was in there I just scrubbed and scrubbed everything with a grey ScotchBrite and Simple Green Aviation cleaner. Lotsa scrubbing : )
The control arms were all new (albeit, I painted them all with AlumaBlast and ceramic coated them hoping they'll stay clean forever).
Personally, I�d rather replace all the dampers and their accessories (mounts, bump stops, etc.) at the same time, due to wariness of wonky handling when pushed upon.
This is what I�m doing right now. I have looked at all the rubber bushings on all my controls arms and they all look damn good. I�m sure they aren�t perfect but the car was stored in a climate controlled garage for like 15 years and it only has 39k miles as of now.
My bump stops, shock/strut mounts, etc all look like crap, so I�m replacing the shocks/struts plus supporting hardware first.
I ordered Bilstein PSS10s, about $3400 after tax and shipping. Then bought OEM mount kits from FCP which came with bearing and hardware, plus some other hardware to support the coil over install. Spent about $110 on supporting parts.
Luckily I can do all the work myself, but addressing the control arms front and rear will be a job for next year and probably another $3k or so.
Dont you have to remove some of the arms to replace the dampers? Based on the estimate I received splitting it by dampers / arms doesnt seem economical unless I do the work myself.
Guess I didn�t think about labor but it�s pretty straight forward either way. This is a good video on replacing dampers w/ coilovers but the process would be the same for shock/struts.
You Tube
Yes, you�re right. I didn�t read that you have a C4, and the front axle complicates things. The front lower control arms (coffin arms) should be replaced together with the front struts, making it more economical in terms of labor cost.
The front thrust arms (tuning forks) aren�t difficult to access, and can probably be put off. Although, it wouldn�t hurt to address it all at the same time�
The rear control arms don�t have this issue. You can easily remove the shocks&springs without touching the control arms, and vice versa.
Do you have a photo of the front bump stops� current condition? If you have even an inch of material remaining, you can probably continue driving on it. Of course, that doesn�t mean you should be bombing down potholed roads while braking and cornering at the limit. Just drive civilly until you have the funds to address them all together.
I don't know but looks like this guy is trying to save a few $ bucks, wich makes sence to me and the track team is chiming in and offering even more expensive options then his indi offered
Whether any owner likes it or not, they are going to have to eventually replace every suspension component on their 25 year old suspension. In todays dollar its going to cost between ~$7k to 10k for a street car. Plenty more if you go hog wild with track related parts.
Depending on the condition of your suspension parts and the size of your budget, you can do it all at once or do it in budgeted steps. As an example, if your dampers are shot but your arm bushings are still in good shape, then do your dampers first, then maybe front arms/tie rods next, then rear arms last. This is where a good indy can help to review each components condition to confirm steps for practicality and safety to spread the cost over time.
Impertantly, you really dont save any money by doing your suspension in steps. You just spread the cost out over time. Nothing wrong with this. I have had an annual budget and project list for my 996 since buying it 23 years ago.
Where you can save money is by finding parts on sale and by saving money on labor by either DIY or doing big ticket items during the off season when some indies reduce their labor rates or will cut you a better deal. I do alot with my indy in the winter.
Best advice i can give is to resist finding shortcuts when it comes to suspension parts. Use the best proven parts so you do NOT sacrifice safety, quality, strength and durability.
Remember, you will be carrying precious cargo in your 996.
I�ve done my shocks/struts twice and replaced a bunch of the other parts along the way. The squeaking/creaking comes from the ball joint in the coffin arm (the grease boot cracks/leaks and the ball joint drys out). It�s not a difficult DIY and you can save a ton of cash (ie: you�re basically paying yourself to do the work) if you�ve got decent mechanical skills. The biggest drawback is that you need a good place to work, tools and you need TIME! You don�t want to rush it - you�ll inevitably run into frozen nuts & bolts, and if you�re doing this at night(s) or on weekends, this usually means multiple trips for tools, parts, hardware etc.
*** As an aside� I believe �the floaty feel� is a function of two things. 1) The weight of the engine in the rear of the car - I don�t believe that the car is unstable at high speeds, but it may feel that way to folks that aren�t used to the rear engine weight distribution and feel.
2) The US cars are a little high in the front and this tends to exacerbate the floaty feeling at high speeds (especially to the uninitiated).
I don't have mechanical skills. I'm interested in learning but this seems a bit too big of a "bite" for me at this time. Very tempting though because honestly it's been such a pain talking and dealing with these different local Porsche shops so far.
Get involved with the local PCA community and ask around for what Indy is the best for street suspensions. You will get plenty of responses. Just about all of the regions have events on the calendar that you can attend. Find out who is the Chief Driving Instructor who is usually a long time member. You will get quite a bit of info from them on where to look or what members to talk too.
This stuff can be like drinking from a fire hose. Slow down your decision making until the info makes sense to you and you find an indy that clicks for you. Unless your suspension is completely unsafe, you have time.
Uh oh, those bumpstops look old and crumbly. Because they have aged out, they will wear faster than I had originally hoped. Do your best to minimize bumpstop contact while you collect parts, and they should be addressed quite soon.
A little update -> I've decided to get the struts done by a local shop imminently as they seem to be deteriorating quickly. Should hopefully have that sorted within the next couple weeks. The passenger's side strut (in the second picture above) seems to sit differently than the driver's side (in the first picture above). I wonder if that's due to some part in the assembly failing or it being aligned intentionally that way. The car seems to be developing a very slight pull to the driver's side which it didn't have ~1k miles ago when I bought it. The creaking is getting more noticeable even without extra weight from passengers in the car.
I've been collecting quotes from different shops in the North of Boston suburbs and have received several crazy ones at well over 3k just to do the struts with Bilstein B4s here is an example I thought you all would find amusing:
I've decided to DIY. For the cost of the labor, I got myself a QuickJack that will probably pay for itself the first time I use it for the front control arms.
